Sunday, August 25, 2013

Oobleck!

Next, each small group added half a cup of cornstarch to half a cup of water. We also added a couple of drops of green food coloring so our Oobleck looked like real Oobleck! Once it was mixed, we quickly discovered that if we poked firmly on the Oobleck, it felt hard and solid. If we let it sit in our hands or touched it gently, it felt watery like a liquid.

Is Oobleck a solid or a liquid? It is actually a Non-Newtonian Fluid, meaning the behavior of this fluid changes under stress. If you apply force the atoms in the fluid rearrange so it behaves like a solid. If you remove that force, or stress and it will return to its earlier state. Watch the video clip below to watch our Oobleck Investigation in action!